Loosen Up
by crimeofimagination
Summary: Because Megaforce focused more on the battles, there was much more to Troy and Emma's relationship than him listening to her sing in the field. Maybe high school was more than just about making memories with friends. Maybe Emma and Troy really had something more.
1. Loosen Up

Troy walked out to his porch for a breath of fresh air. His afternoon had been so hectic with having to fight Creepox. The last thing he wanted to do was to see any of his ranger counterparts, that is, except for Emma Goodall.

To Troy, Emma was a different kind of person. She was bright, smart, pretty… but he was trying to keep all of that behind him. He had to keep all of his ranger duties first. It was a crisp fall evening. The sun was about to set, and the sky was turn a bright shade of orange. After saying goodbye to his widowed mother, Troy walked down the porch to go to the park.

* * *

Emma was getting ready to go to the park and take some pictures. She pulled out her black Canon camera from her pink backpack, and slid her binders inside. Zipping the bag, she walked out the door. Her dad was on the sofa, watching football. Wishing him goodbye, she headed out the door. Immediately, she felt a cool breeze brush her hair strands out of place. She scanned the area with dark brown eyes, looking for something to inspire her.

She walked to her bicycle and dropped her camera on the handlebar. Emma slowly started to pedal, picking up the pace.

* * *

Troy finally reached the park, stretching out as he sensed somebody else in the same place. "Something's wrong here," he thought. He took one step forward. "Hi Troy," he heard a familiar voice say.

"Hey Emma. Why're you here so late?"

"Why are you here?"

"I always come here to calm down. Today, especially, was really hard on me. Creepox literally beat the stuffing out of me."

Giggling, Emma gave his shoulder a squeeze. "Well, you're here now, and that's all that matters."

"Emma, what do I do? The enemies are getting stronger and stronger these days, and it seems as if I'm all alone."

"Well, don't be. I'm sure things will turn out right. See? Robo Knight's already on our side, and I don't think it's possible to get him to turn back. Troy, what you should remember is that you've made a big difference to this team. Everyone cares about you. Heck, if you hadn't come up with that plan when we were fighting Dizchord, I would be deaf!"

"Well, I had to do something about it. I always put my ranger duties first."

Emma frowned at this. It seemed that Troy wasn't ever going to loosen up to her. She felt as if she was another regular member of the team. She wanted to be special to him. She wanted to be his. This girl wasn't going to stop at anything to get her Sky Counterpart to become relaxed.

"Troy, can I take you somewhere?"

"Sure, where are we going?"

"You'll see. Gia and I go here all the time."

Emma led Troy to a tall tree in the middle of a field of flowers. She started to climb up, struggling a little at the beginning because it was so cold. Troy noted this and quickly shrugged off his jacket.

"Here Emma. I have a sweater on underneath. Wear this."

"Thanks Troy. It feels so much better."

Emma was able to climb up easily, and Troy followed her up. Finally, they reached an area that was covered in leaves and held together by a few, huge branches.

It was almost 7 o'clock now, and the sun was just about set. The duo sat there, staring at the sun, inhaling the cool air. Very soon after, Emma started to get drowsy. She started to lean to her right, where Troy was sitting. He noticed this, and adjusted his shoulder to make it feel comfortable for her. She rest her head in the area between his chest and shoulder. Troy was enjoying this, realizing that all Emma wanted to do was teach him to loosen up.

And he did that just for Emma.


	2. Memories and Connections

**Author's Notes: I'm reading this quickly and realizing how terrible it sounds - this was written years ago. I promise I've improved since then. Also, there is a poll on my profile if you'd like to take one!**

* * *

Emma was getting ready to go home. It was the end of 8th period, and Emma was stressed. All because Noah Carver debated her in a Science Bowl. Of course, she won, because Noah is only good with technical science, but it pained her when he said that **robots** and **machines** would take over the world. Little did she know that Troy Burrows was watching her expressions the whole time.

He could feel the same pain. Hurt, hatred, sorrow. He thought that it was a little harsh for someone to tell Emma that plants were going to die. After all, she was the one who made him enjoy what the world is giving.

Emma took out her backpack, and Gia realized that Emma's book would tumble. She knelt down and caught them, as they were about to hit the floor.

"Hey Emma," Gia started, "Heading to Ernie's Fro-Yo today?"

"I'm coming, but after I go to the woods. The orange monarch butterflies are migrating, and I don't want to miss the chance of capturing one in action! Can you do me a favor and order me a..."

"...Lowfat Cherry Berry Yogurt with Hot Fudge... and no carob chips," Gia interrupted.

"That's a girl," Emma said. A few of her books were about to fall, and Emma shut her eyes quickly. But unusually, she didn't hear the usual thud sound it made when it crashed to the floor. Instead, she looked down to see a muscular arm holding her Science, History and Math books. Realizing it wasn't Gia, she turned to her right and identified the familiar, handsome face as Troy.

"Hey Troy. Thanks so much for the save."

"Anything for the girl who fell asleep on me."

"C'mon! It was a long day for both of us. Where are you heading?"

"Fro-Yo. Why?"

"Well, I guess the pictures will have to wait. Can I walk with you? The long way?"

"Sure. Let's start now if we want to reach there on time."

"Oh wait. I left my bike outside today. Can we walk to my house first? It's really not that far from here."

"Alright."

The Red and Pink Ranger walked home, and found out along the way that they were very common.

"So Troy, how was Angel Grove?"

"Terrible. I was bullied, mimicked, hurt, blamed, and even threatened. Nobody really helped me. Only bystanders and bullies. I thought it would never get better."

"That's what happened to me. When I was 8, I was best friends with this boy who was really nice to me. He would help me with everything, even do my homework. But one day, a new girl came. By that time, I had a major crush on him, and he did on me. But the new girl stole his heart, and all I was to him afterwards was a bunch of trash. Later that school year, he was part of the popular kids club, and would always harass me. I would come home crying. But the next year, I met Gia, and she was suspended for beating him up. That's why whenever I get bullied today, and I still do, I turn my head to her."

"That must have been awful, Emma."

"It was. But when I saw you handling those bullies the other day, it felt like you turned into Superman. Noah told me that he even heard me say what a guy."

"We're here at you're house Emma. Why don't you drop your bike? And by the way, if anybody hurts you," he walked up to Emma, "I will be your Superman."

"That means so much. Thanks. Lately, you haven't exactly been close to the team, but I can see you have been spending a lot more time with me, etcetera."

"Only because you're the only one that I trust. I mean, look at the others. Robo Knight is a robot, first of all. Noah and Jake have each other. And Gia and Jake are too worried about each other. But it seems that you're waiting for someone to talk to you. I feel the same way, so I thought that maybe I could come to you."

Emma stopped and smiled at this. Troy caught this and was amused by this. Emma looked up at him and just waited for him to say something. Troy was doing the same. Emma was so caught up in the moment that she embraced him while saying "thank you" in his ear.

Troy was enjoying her soft hug, her arm enveloping his body inside his jacket. He quickly returned the gesture by hugging her gentle body. They pulled apart and started laughing. They took so long for a small gesture that they were late for Fro-Yo. Gia caught Troy's eyes first when he entered and gave a look to him saying that she wanted details with him and Emma.

Emma walked in with a sour mood, realizing that everything she heard today made her sad. Troy being bullied, herself being bullied, Noah hurting her feelings. She felt overwhelmed. Noah immediately got up when he saw Emma walk in and stopped her in her tracks. She looked up from the floor and saw Noah staring at her.

"Emma, I'm so sorry about 8th period. I realized afterwards that I hurt you so badly. Can you forgive me?"

"Noah, look. You can always be a genius with studies, but you are not good at everything. The only thing you're not good at is watching what you say. I forgive you, but the next time something like this happens, I'm not going to be sympathetic. Don't be such a boaster."

Noah was taken aback. He never thought that a sweet girl like Emma could scare him with a few words. But she was right. He was basically being a boaster.

Gia interrupted the silence by saying, "Emma! I got your order! Let's eat!"


	3. Superman

It was Friday, December 13th. Emma shuddered at the thought. Every Friday the 13th, something bad happened to her. On Friday, September 13th, 3 orders of smoothies spilled on her at Ernie's in front of a crowd of the "popular" kids. Luckily, the others were there to back her up from all the hurtful comments.

Just for safety precautions, she convinced her dad to drive her to school. Sitting in the back seat of his Honda Leaf, she pulled out her 5 page essay about why Earth is the way it is today. To keep it twice as protected, she covered it in a plastic folder with a zipper on the end. Today was not going to be a good day for her.

* * *

Troy realized what day it was. The 13th. On a Friday. Today was going to suck. Every Friday the 13th, something bad would happen to somebody because of him. On Friday, September 13th, he poured 3 orders of green apple smoothies all over Emma. He felt so bad for her after that. It was twice as bad, because all the "cool" people laughed at her because of that.

But after all that, he kept his head held high, telling himself today would be a good day.

* * *

He reached school and hoped that he wouldn't be such a clumsy dope.

Reaching first period earlier than the rest, he pulled out his math book to study for his test today. Emma reached class five minutes later. She stared at the ground to keep from tripping over the slightest speck of dust.

"Hey Emma," Troy called.

"Oh, hey."

"What's with the long face?"

"Do you realize what day it is?"

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I still feel really bad for what happened at Ernie's in September."

"Hey, don't worry about that. I smelled really good afterwards!"

Troy let out an easy laugh that made chills go down Emma's spine. She sat down in front of him, unpacked, and turned around. They just stared at each other for a few seconds before Troy spoke up.

"What?"

"It seems as if you're trying to avoid me. What's on your head?'

"It's just that I want to keep from doing anything stu-"

Troy was cut off when his math book fell to the ground.

Emma giggled. "That makes two of us." Troy smirked at the comment, and reached to pick up his book.

Suddenly, the "popular" kids entered the class. The looked at the duo and started to laugh. One of the girls, Angie, came to the front.

"Well, well. If it isn't Emma Goodall. Oh, and Troy Burrows. How cute. What losers. Let's go."

She motioned for the rest of the group to follow her.

"The nerve of some people," Emma chimed. Troy just stared at the desk. Realizing she didn't get her expected reply, she turned around. "Hey, what happened?" Troy looked up at Emma and she saw his eyes were watery and filled with tears. Emma got up and knelt down beside his desk.

"Hey, don't worry. There's an old saying that explains that however somebody is describing you, they're basically describing themselves that way. Trust me, nothing bad happened. I'm right by your side." She gave him a smile, and reached in to give him a hug. He returned it with pleasure. It made him feel so good that he wasn't alone.

* * *

8th period was about to begin, and Emma wasn't doing so good. In 2nd period, she belched out a huge coughing spree. At lunch, she slipped on some spilled milk while trying to grab a napkin. In 4th and 5th period, she got terrible grades on her tests. In 6th period, she accidentally dropped her books on her foot. In 7th period, she embarrassed herself by humming really loudly. Now, she couldn't wait to see what happened.

Thank goodness Troy was in her 8th period along with the rest of the gang. She felt as if this was one of her worst Friday the 13th's. She walked up to her locker and saw Gia.

"Hey, G. How's it going?"

"Great! This is the best day ever! The cutest boy at school gave me one of his pencils! Isn't that sweet?"

"Sure. Well, it's terrible for me. I wonder how it's going for the guys."

"Jake and Noah are doing well. Troy's actually not doing so good. He's already embarrassed a bunch of people."

"That's terrible!"

"I have to go now. See you in 8th, Emma."

"Bye. Man, what am I going to do?"

At that moment, Mr. Burley was carrying a tray of smoothies. In about 10 seconds, he would slip on a banana peel right behind Emma. At that same time, two bullies would walk up to Emma. But for now, Troy came up to Emma.

"So how's the best day ever?" Troy sarcastically stated.

"Terrible. I feel like a creep-"

"Watch out!" Troy immediately caught Emma in his arms while Mr. Burley spilled the smoothies in front of her locker.

"Thanks Troy. That was so sweet." Emma couldn't wipe the huge schoolgirl grin off of her face.

"No prob. Here comes more trouble."

The two biggest bullies walked up to the Sky Rangers.

"Well hello, Cinderella and Prince Charming. Somebody told me you both were in love. Come on, pucker up Cinderella. You don't deserve him."

"In your dreams, Sid," Emma boldly scolded, "Besides, the name's Emma."

"C'mon. I've known you since we were 3."

"So?"

"So pucker up. It's about time you fell in love with me."

Troy came in between. "Didn't you hear her? She said no."

"Aww, Prince Charming thinks he's so strong."

"Try me," Troy challenged.

Sid aimed at Troy and tried to punch him. Troy easily blocked it and pulled Emma behind him. He blocked all of the bully's attempts. The second bully, Alex, was behind Emma, and when she realized he was about to hit her, Emma screamed Troy's name for dear life. He immediately turned around and blocked Alex's attempt. He caught Emma, yet again, in his arms. Sid and Alex were exhausted and upset that they looked like fools.

Meanwhile, Troy was staring at the girl he was holding, and smiled at her.

"Hey," he lamely said.

"Hey, Troy. It looks like you made this the best day ever. You really are my Superman." With that, she gave him a big hug. Maybe it wasn't going to be so bad for them both, knowing they had each other to rely on.


	4. Just Friends

**_Thank you to Anon's comment about Chapter 3 - that really made me smile. And to DOJO in response to your question about the final chapter, I can't spill details until the end, but this is a story that continues based on the previous chapter. We'll see where their relationship ends up in the end. I hope that helps, and thank you all for your continued support!_**

* * *

Finally, it was Christmas Eve. Emma was so happy and excited to be spending her first Christmas with a real family after so long since her mother died. Although she shook it off, she would sometimes sing a song from her mom in the woods. Even Troy would come if he accidentally stumbled upon the area. But today, Emma wouldn't worry about the sad moments. She was going to spend all day with her fearless counterparts in the mall.

* * *

Troy was feeling a little weird. He never spent Christmas with anybody at all. It was always just him and his mom, going to the beach - although it was not a smart idea. He walked outside, and headed towards the mall.

* * *

He stopped at the front of Ernie's, and was surprised to see Emma walking around the mall. He walked up to her and tapped her on the shoulder. But when she turned around, Troy realized he had gone to the wrong person. Oops.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Troy sheepishly said.

"It's fine. You should do that more often, handsome," she replied. She then walked away to catch up with a tall man.

Was that supposed to be a compliment?, Troy thought. He forgot about it and walked into Ernie's. He saw another girl who looked like Emma, and swallowed hard while he tapped her shoulder. Fortunately, Emma turned around, and her eyed widened.

"Troy! What are you doing here so early?"

"I have a reason to ask you the same question."

"Oh, just helping Ernie with recycling. Now, what are you doing here?"

"Just cus. I thought that I could get an early start on shopping- did I just say that out loud?"

"So, you didn't get anything yet. Well, I'm fine with it, but Gia's who you gotta watch out for. I honestly haven't started yet. Wanna start right now?"

"Sure, we still have an hour before the others get here."

Wishing Ernie goodbye, the duo left the store. Emma spoke up first.

"I still can't forget the 13th. What you did was so sweet."

"What, you mean this?" He scooped her up, and caught her in his arms, yet again.

"Troy!" Emma managed to say through her laughs, "Yes, I mean that."

Once he let her go, they reached their first store. Emma looked interested in the Santa hats, so she bought one.

"Here," she said, "Wear this." She took the hat and stood on her tip toes, and barely placed the hat on his head. "I guess that's good enough for now. I hope you're tall enough to fix it yourself."

"Me too," Troy remarked. He straightened the hat and gave out a ho-ho-ho that made Emma shiver. She had to admit that she had a really big crush on him since she first saw him in the command center.

Troy was fascinated by the second shop. When they walked inside, the pair was surrounded by towers of sportswear and exercising gear. He immediately picked up a soccer ball and headed to the checkout. The cashier got the wrong idea - two teens in the mall at 7 in the morning.

"Hey," the guy started, "If you're looking for a romantic spot, go to the other end of the mall."

"Excuse me?" Emma asked confused.

"What do you mean - 'romantic,'" Troy said curiously.

"Well, you both are together, right?"

"No way. We're just... friends," Emma said frustrated. She obviously wasn't fond of the idea of just being friends. The cashier just shrugged, handed the ball to Emma, and the two of them left for the next store.

"Just... friends," Emma muttered. Troy managed to hear, and stopped walking to face Emma. The Pink Ranger knew that something was wrong and she also stopped, but was staring at the ground.

"Is... everything okay?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, but, are we **just** friends?" Emma asked sadly.

"I don't know, actually. I mean, we've been through a lot together. Maybe we are, or maybe we're not." Troy looked at the girl, but she kept her head down at the ground. Troy reached out his hand for Emma to grasp. She gladly held it, and they walked to the next store.

Emma realized that hadn't gotten a present for her best friend, Gia. She headed inside a store and came out a few minutes later with a bag full of clothes.

The duo walked into the next stop, and Emma checked her watch. They had 20 minutes until the rest of them appeared at Ernie's. The shop they came to was full of technology and cool gadgets. This was definitely Noah's favorite store in the mall. But all Noah wanted was a brand new telescope. Emma had an idea. Since Troy was paying for everything, she decided they split the payment. They managed to have barely enough for the telescope, and agreed to pick it up in a few hours.

"So," Troy began, "Who do you have left?"

"I have to get something for... you."

"Same here. Let's split up. Meet you at Ernie's with the others."

"Alright. See you soon, Troy." Emma had no idea what to get for Troy. She had a huge crush on him and knew almost everything about him, but getting a gift for him would be tough. She thought hard, but no ideas came to mind. She finally got an idea. Troy loved karate, and he was looking forward to seeing a live match. She ran back to the sports store and found 4 tickets to a professional match. Perfect, she thought. She bought the tickets, with only a few dollars left. The girl was super excited, and headed back to Ernie's.

"What should I get Emma?" Troy thought. He got an idea, and went to the nearest jewelry store. He searched for the perfect locket, and found one that was pink and red. He bought it, and got it to have an engraving that said "Emma." He only had 5 minutes, and ran to Ernie's.

Emma got to Ernie's with a couple of minutes on the clock. She already spotted Jake, Gia and Noah sitting at the gang's table. She sat down in between Gia and an empty chair. Everybody had brought their bags full of presents. Troy finally got there soon after Emma. He sat next to her, and Jake piped up.

"Hey guys, what'd you get me?"

"Just wait, mister," Gia said. Jake blushed, and Gia was amused by this. Jake started jumping up and down in his seat, and managed to fall flat on the ground. Noah and Gia were trying to help him up. Troy realized something.

"Emma," he whispered, "Where's your present for Jake?"

"I got it from the same store as you got your present for him from."

"Oh, okay. So, what's up?"

"Nothing much. Why?"

"Look up." Emma looked up and closed her eyes. Mistletoe was above every table in the room. "Crap," Emma finally said. The others finally sat down, and the duo motioned for them to look up. They all mentally cursed and looked around. Jake immediately kissed Gia, and Noah went to another table to kiss another girl.

Emma called Ernie and asked him if she really had to do it. He quickly said yes and walked to the bar so he was safe from the madness. Emma didn't know who to go to. She looked around, but everyone was already occupied. Suddenly, she felt someone holding her hand, and she turned around. A familiar face just looked at her with the slightest smile.

Emma's eyes widened, and she took a breath. She leaned in, and so did he. They finally touched, and Emma didn't realize that she was putting her hands around his neck. Once they let go, Emma just rested her head on his shoulder.

Jake saw the Santa hat on Troy's head and took advantage of it. He laughed and said, "Ooh, Emma kissed Santa!"

He earned a bunch of screams and hits from the others.

"I think it's actually really sweet," Gia said.

She finally got Jake to get off of her and told Noah to get his butt over there.

"It's time for presents!" Gia exclaimed.

Everyone got what they needed. The only presents that were left were Troy's present to Emma, and Emma's to Troy. Emma went first.

"So, you like karate," Emma said.

"Yeah... why?"

"Well, I'm sure you would do anything for 4 tickets to see a real match, wouldn't you?" Troy shot his head up.

"Yes! Oh man, Emma you're the best!" He gave her a big hug as a 'thank you'.

"So," Emma started.

"Alright. Close your eyes." Emma did as she was told, and she felt a small box put in her hand. She immediately opened her eyes, and saw a small blue box.

"Oh my gosh. Troy. You're kidding."

"Just open it and see if I am." She did, and saw a pink and red heart locket with her name on it. She put a hand over her mouth.

"Turn around," Troy said. He took the locket and put it around her neck. She admired it, and gave Troy a big hug.

Ernie screamed and the gang turned around. "My store is a mess! Pick up all of this wrapping paper! Now!" The group started right afterwards.

"So, just friends?" Troy asked.

"You got that right. Merry Christmas, Troy."

"Merry Christmas, Emma."


	5. Make and Break

It had been another boring Thursday, and the team was just about ready to give up on the rest of the day. This Thursday was the day after Christmas, and Emma had left the woods to head to Ernie's to help take down the decorations… and mistletoe. She couldn't believe Ernie had (unintentionally) made her kiss Troy. But she didn't care, because that one touch made it one of her best Christmas Eve's yet.

Emma promised the others that she would meet them an hour later at the spot. She parked her bike in front of the mall, near the parking lot, and headed inside. Almost every store she passed by had someone taking down ornaments, streamers, and even balloons. The feelings that Christmas was over made a wave of sadness swoop over Emma's head. But she touched the locket she got from Troy, and smiled once again.

It seemed as if Ernie was literally waiting for her to come, because when she entered, Ernie smiled and yapped on about how she finally came after so long. Emma couldn't help but to laugh at how eager he talked and how he would constantly run around behind the bar. After talking to Ernie, she began to take down the decorations in the front of the store.

Emma had a secret fear of heights. So when it came to ladders, it was one of her biggest weaknesses. She opened up to old, 7-foot stand and started to the top. But on the 5thstep, Emma's foot slipped and she fell off of the ladder. Luckily, someone was standing right below her, so she didn't expect to be caught. Especially by… Troy.

She mentally cursed herself for acting like such a fool, and got out of his arms. She brushed her shorts, and looked at Troy with a weird look. He just stared back at her, as confused as she was.

"Aren't you a bit early, Troy?"

"Again, I have a reason to ask you the same question." Emma looked at the ground, and shot up.

"Well, I just like to help around here."

"Oh, well is it a habit of yours to fall from such heights?"

"Um, why are you here?"

"I was actually looking for you."

"Really?" Emma just blushed at this sudden burst of embarrassment. "Uh, uh- w-why are you looking for me?" Emma started swallowing really hard.

"Look, I just want to apologize for what happened here on Tuesday."

"Troy, I think it was perfectly fine. Like Gia said, it was really sweet."

Troy smiled at the ground. He looked at the ceiling of the store. Mistletoe was still there. He hatched an idea. Troy grabbed Emma's hand and sat her down at a table near the back corner of the store.

"So Emma, what's up?"

"Nothing… right?"

"Why don't you see for yourself?"

Emma closed her eyes, and looked up. She slowly opened one eye, and sighed. Mistletoe was still hanging.

"ERNIE!" Emma screamed. He came rushing over.

"Can you explain this?!" She pointed up.

"Oops. Good luck, Emma." Ernie again ran to the back of the bar.

Emma looked at Troy. She leaned in, and soon enough, they touched. She wrapped her arms around his neck and his around her waist. She had to admit, it felt really good. When it ended, she rested her head against his. She lightly laughed, and so did he.

There was a girl sitting at the table across from them. She got up, and walked over to Troy.

"Hey, Troy," she said.

"Oh hey… Angie."

"Angie?!" Emma asked.

"What are you doing with her?"

Emma got up and turned to Angie.

"I'm sorry, what?" Angie looked at her, and spoke up.

"I asked him why you were here. Now scram." Emma was furious, and hot tears swelled up.

"Troy! What a fool I was to tell myself that I could actually fall for you! First you go and kiss a girl, twice! Then, you reveal to her that you're with another girl! Specifically the one who bullies her! Ugh!"

Emma picked up her bag, and walked out of the store.

"Emma! Wait!" Troy yelled, and ran after her.

He caught up to her, and grabbed her wrist.

"Troy, let go!" He didn't. Instead, he pulled her in for a hug. Emma just went with it and returned the hug. She couldn't and didn't want to do anything else. Troy felt her being racked with sobs, and rub circles on her back. She let go, and it made him furious to see so many trails of tears on Emma's cheeks. He had some business to take care of on Monday.


	6. More Than That

Emma walked home from school on Monday, not knowing what to do. She would usually head to the woods, but she didn't seem inspired. Going to Ernie's meant seeing Troy… which would possibly make her feel worse. The little incident from a few weeks ago still kept burning a hole through her heart. She never expected Troy, of all people, to kiss her twice, then tells her he's dating some girl who was bullying her! Emma hung her head down low, just feeling glum.

Troy ran after Emma, yelling her name. It was getting a little late for his karate practice, but nothing would stop him from finding her. Apparently, she couldn't hear him yelling, or she was, even worse, ignoring him. He was right on her tail as he slowed to a walking speed. Troy placed his hand on Emma's shoulder. She was startled at this and quickly turned her head. Realizing it was the last person she wanted to see today, she turned her head so he could only see her brown hair.

He stroked her hair slowly, and Emma did what no other girl would do. She turned around and just buried her head in his chest as her arms went around his neck. She was hugging him.

"Troy…" he heard her say quietly.

"We missed you… I miss you."

"I missed you too."

"Emma, I'm so sorry for what happened. I didn't know what Angie was talking about. I would never do that to you."

"I know you wouldn't. That's just not like you. "

"Do you forgive me?"

"Yes." Emma pressed her head against his as she said, "I do."

"Well, I'm almost this close to being late to practice. I have to go."

"Troy?"

"Yes?"

"I know this is awkward, but can I come?"

"Of course you can." She smiled, and she held his hand as he reached out to her. They walked to his class with a few minutes for him to change into his necessary clothes. According to Emma, Troy was the best of the group, and was treated like it.

Emma sat in an area for the audience. She waited for him to come so she could take his bag. When he walked out, he looked as if he was going to fight in a competition. He walked up to her and handed her his backpack and bag for his change of clothes. She took both, placing them on the chair next to hers.

Class started a few minutes later, when a tall man in training clothes like the students', except black, and they bowed down to him. Emma watched for some time, until she got a phone call when she felt a buzz in her pocket. She took it, and came back inside. The rest of the class was very interesting, but hectic.

Today, the group was having one-on-one battles with each other. Troy got several kicks and hits here and there, ending class with an ice pack on his head. The duo walked home together, talking about random things, until the dreaded question came up from Troy.

"Emma?"

"Yes?"

"Why did you want to come?"

"Well, after what happened, I just wanted to spend time with you to make up for all the missed time. Why?"

"Just cus." They were almost home when Troy complained that he was dizzy. They stopped at a bench, and sat down. Troy placed his head on Emma's shoulder, as she brushed his hair. It was getting late, but they didn't care. Emma lifted Troy's head up to examine it. It was fine, but a little bruised. They got up, and Troy took Emma to her house.

"I had a good time today," Emma quietly said to him.

"Me too."

"Alright, Troy, are we just friends?"

"Maybe we're more than that." With that, he gave her a kiss on the cheek, and she hugged him back for some time, until he left.

"Yeah," Troy thought, "Maybe we're more than that."


	7. I Don't Dance

It was another normal Tuesday morning, and today was the second day back at school for the year. Emma woke up and checked her clock. It was almost 7 am and she had only 20 minutes to get ready! She fell to the floor and hurried to brush her teeth. Every second counted, especially on the second day back! With 5 minutes before the bus came, she ran downstairs and nearly swallowed her granola bar whole! Throwing on her backpack, she jogged to the bus stop, just in time to get on.

Troy woke up at 6:30 and fell back to sleep for 15 minutes before realizing he had school. Crap. He got up, stretched, and stumbled to the ground as he tried walking to his bathroom. He went to the bus stop with 10 minutes on the clock and took out his phone to call Emma. It was the first day since they became friends again, or maybe more than that.

She didn't pick up. He thought that she probably had her phone on mute and got on his bus. Sitting down, he looked outside to see what was going on. He saw Emma in her long pink skirt. She no longer wore shorts since it was winter. Getting on the bus, she looked around for him and saw his red shirt standing out, so she sat down in the empty seat next to him. She spoke up.

"Hey, Troy."

"Hey. You seem tired."

"Yeah. I woke up a 7 for some reason."

"Well, you can go to sleep now. I'll wake you up."

"Thanks, but there's no way I can sleep with this much noise around." She looked outside and then at the seat next to her. It was empty, so she placed her bag there. They eventually reached their destination after so many stops. Emma decided to say something to cut the silence. They got off the bus.

"I hate the bus. I prefer walking."

"Same here, but it's faster like this."

"No it's not. Imagine if it were a day with lots of traffic. If we walked, we wouldn't be late unlike if we were on the bus."

"You're right. Well, we'll continue this after 8th. See you, Emma."

"Bye Troy." She headed to her locker, where she found Gia talking, or more like arguing, with Jake. He was pleading her to go with him to the Winter Dance. Oh Emma had to admit, how she longed for Troy to ask her. But she knew it wouldn't happen because she wasn't good enough for anybody. Shutting her locker, she darted to first, and began her Terrible Tuesday.

Afterschool, she met Troy at her locker where he was ready to go to the bus stop. She packed up, and led the way to back where they would find the buses. She turned left, instead of their usual right turn. Troy was confused and spoke up.

"Where are you going?"

"Home."

"Aren't we supposed to go by bus?"

"Well, I'm walking. You can come if you want to go home faster." He followed her only because he wanted to spend more time with her. After a while, Emma started to talk.

"You know, it really is faster if we walked. I never thought I'd be right!"

"Yeah? Well it'd be faster if we danced."

"Danced?"

"Yeah. I'm sure it would be better if we danced." He held out two tickets to the Winter Dance and Emma gasped. She gave him a big hug and he chuckled. It actually worked. Troy was going to take Emma to the dance.

"There's one problem," he heard her say.

"What's that?"

"I don't dance."

"Well, you have to. Your leader's orders."

"Yes sir," she answered playfully and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He smiled and they walked home together, hand in hand.


	8. Everything Has Changed

Emma looked through the film in her camera for the perfect picture to print, until she stumbled across a photo of the whole gang. She really was glad to have them as her best friends. She stood up and slung her bag over her shoulder to head to Ernie's. The gang was all there already, and Emma repeatedly ditched them for the woods. To make up for it, she would make a surprise entrance and pay for the smoothies.

She walked in the small, but pleasant store. Seeing the group at their usual table, she found an empty spot and decided to sit there. The others all jumped at the sound of a bag slamming on the ground and saw the Pink Ranger sitting down and waiting for them to say something. Finally, Gia lost it and jumped up and down as she gave Emma a really big hug.

"Emma, you're here! I was really getting bored, being with a bunch of boys and all. Especially Soccer Boy here." Jake smiled sarcastically and threw his soccer ball in the air. It was coming down a little bit behind Jake, so he leaned back. Accidentally going too far, he hit his head on the ground flat, causing an 'Ouch' to mutter from his mouth. Gia rushed to help him up.

"And he's clumsy." Emma laughed at the whole scene and turned to face Troy and Noah. They shrugged and she laughed even more at how the gang was acting today. It was Friday, and also was the end of the first week of school for 2014. They deserved a break between all the work and fighting, so Ernie came to the rescue with their select smoothies all on a tray, just in time. In his Indian accent, he spoke up.

"That will be 17 dollars and 89 cents." Emma took out a wrinkled 20 and handed it to him. He smiled to her and went to the cash register to get her change. Jake was shocked at what she had just done.

"Emma, today I was supposed to pay! Why'd you do that?"

"Well first of all, you **always** pay. And secondly, I just want to make up for all the times I didn't come. It's just really hectic these days. Just a friendly gesture."

The others all smiled and told her it wasn't needed but she smiled and shook her head. She felt someone tapping her shoulder and turned around. It was Ernie with her change. She mouthed a 'thank you' as the rest of the group kept arguing on what she should have done. He chuckled and she nodded as she turned around to face them. Emma was annoyed at this point and spoke up.

"Guys, we don't have all day." They nodded and dug in their treats. Afterwards, Noah, Gia and Jake walked home together since they were neighbors. Emma got up, handed Ernie the tray, and put all of the empty cups in the recycling bin. She turned around and picked up her bag to leave.

Emma stopped when she realized that Troy had not gone home yet. She made a 'U-turn' and faced him. He was quietly and humbly cleaning the table. She placed her hand on top of his as he wiped the surface. Troy looked up to her and smiled. She returned it and took the towel from him as she finished cleaning the stains and splotches of juice and yogurt. Troy was confused.

"Emma, aren't you going home?"

"Not if you aren't. Why?"

"Well, I never expected you or the others to stay back just for me."

"So that's supposed to be a problem, is it?"

"No, it's just that I've never felt this way before."

"That's good. Now come on! I think that's enough cleaning for today."

"Alright! Alright!" Emma took his hand and he smiled as she guided him through the crowds of people. They went a different route than their neighborhood and Troy got worried.

"Emma, where are we going?"

"The woods."

"Oh, alright. But why are you doing this?"

They reached the same tree that they had climbed a long time ago, and Emma took the first step. They managed to reach the top soon afterwards. He finally relaxed and stretched his arms outwards. Troy repeated his question once more.

"Emma, why are you doing this?"

"Well honestly, I think you should stop working all the time and just loosen up."

"Thanks for caring about me. But I'm pretty sure you're doing this for another reason." Emma looked at him with a confused yet amazed look. She began to speak and slowly picked up her breathing as she talked even faster.

"Um, well… it's just that I kind of like spending time with you. It's because we have so much I common and it makes me feel like I'm not alone when I'm fighting the fact that I lost my mother. It's not my fault, though. I've always been the secluded one and even Gia turns on me once in a while. You remember that time when we were enemies, don't you?" Troy just nodded his head vigorously.

"I just feel that if I can talk to you, it's like I can actually communicate to the world without being pushed away like garbage. The reason I always take pictures is because I can capture those small moments when I can be myself and I'm accepted." Tears started to swell up in her eyes. Emma looked down and buried her face in her hands before quickly lifting it up to look at Troy.

"My whole life I've been pushed around. Even when I was a little girl, I would lock the door and play by myself as I heard my parents yelling at each other, all until she died. Knowing that somebody else felt the same pain makes me happy that – that –"The rest of her sentence was muffled by tears and sobs. Troy looked at her, filled with sorrow and pain as he imagined his childhood and how it was just like his Pink Counterpart's. He wrapped his hands around her shaking body as he rubbed circles on her back and rested his chin on her head. She returned the gesture and sniffled a few times before coming to a halt.

"I'm sorry fr putting you through this. I can't keep it inside someti-" She was cut short by a kiss from the boy next to her. She smiled in between as she wrapped her hands around his neck. They broke apart and rested their heads against each other and smiled. Troy completed her sentence.

"It makes you happy that someone cares. Because I really do. Honestly, I have since I first heard your story when I met you." Emma smiled so hard that she swore she could feel her cheekbones breaking. The moment was ruined when her phone buzzed. She broke apart from him and answered the phone.

"Gia? We have to go shopping **now?** Oh shut up, I'll be there soon." She hung up and groaned. Troy looked at her suspiciously.

"Apparently, the best time to go shopping is when your best friend is finally enjoying herself. Sorry, I have to find a dress for the dance."

"So you really weren't kidding when you said yes?"

"Why would I?"

"Oh, no reason. See you, Pinky."

"My name is Emma!" She laughed and gave him a kiss, this time on the cheek. Doing a backflip, she landed safely on her two feet. She waved to Troy and ran to the mall. He looked down at how far the branch was from the ground. But to his surprise, he found Jake and Noah, arm crossed, looking up at him with smiles.

"What? So the best time to annoy your friend is when they've finally learned to loosen up?"


	9. Epilogue

_**Author's Note:** I read this to myself right before publishing (didn't change anything for the sake of preserving what I'd written years ago) and flat out laughed. Just... keep in mind that this was written a long time ago._

* * *

Epilogue

Emma sighed as she looked through her closet. She had just ended her 4th year of college, and her apartment still wasn't clean since Day 1. Today, she was packing up her room to go back to Harwood and see her parents for the first time in her new, college graduated life. Ever since the team defeated the Warstar and advanced from High School, their lives had been different broken apart. She looked through the small, but cramped room as she saw all the boxes of precious HS memories. There was one particular box which the retired Pink was looking for.

When her eyes locked gaze with its red marker, she read it to make sure it was the right one. "Mega Memories" the box simply showed, as the adult pulled it out with an "Oomph." Even her powers had started to wear out as she gave her morpher to Tensou. The day she last walked out of the Command Center was one of the saddest days of her life, knowing now that she was a graduated high schooler, and Power Ranger. She got home that day and cried straight into her pillow for 4 long hours of agony and tissues, all while her parents, Tommy and Kim, tried their best to comfort their grown up daughter.

Emma pulled out one item after another as it brought smiles to her small face, remember those small, but cherished moments of her high school life. One picture, she couldn't take her eyes off. It was a picture of her and Troy hugging at the Senior Dance. A tear formed at the edge of her eyelid, as she wiped it away, wishing her arm felt lighter than it was when she was sad. She found a photo frame on her desk, pulled out the picture of a rose, and stuck that crystal clear photo of the duo inside. Boy, she felt good when she saw that face again. No matter what, she could never overcome her feelings for Troy Burrows.

Emma swore she could hear a knock at the door, but nobody ever came to visit her. She ignored the noise as a sound from her head. But she heard it again. As strange as it was, it pretty sure sounded like it was real. She got off the bed, and slowly trudged to the door. Without bothering to look through the peephole, she opened the door with ease. She literally gasped and put her hand to her mouth as her eyes widened. The whole gang was waiting for her innocently, each person having a small gift for her. She didn't, er… couldn't understand what in the world was going on and hesitantly let them in as Gia walked in with Jake as she gave Emma a huge hug. Noah came in and gave her a bouquet of flowers as she accepted it and gave both him and Jake a hug and put their presents of her desk in her room. Troy just came in and she gave him an extended hug as he kissed her on the cheek. She squeezed him a little tighter as they let go and went inside. Gia, as usual, blurted out something that wasn't meant to be a backhand comment, initially.

"So, somebody is a neat freak." She said, as she glanced at all the boxes scattered everywhere on the floor and seats.

"Yeah, this is my last week, so I'm getting ready to head to Harwood. I feel great, knowing that I'm from now on not the only one that's still going to college."

"Yeah, the city's a dump without your help along with Kim. We all can't wait to see you back there. Besides, you have a lot of big news that awaits your close attention."

"Alright, who wants to go first?"

"I will," Noah said. "Well, I have been accepted as a professor at Berkley."

"Wow! I am so proud of you! Good luck, Noah." Emma gave him a big hug and looked to Jake. He simply pointed to Gia and instructed for her to ask the retired Yellow. Emma listened and looked to Gia, who was holding her stomach.

"Emma, well a few months ago was Jake and my wedding. Last week, we confirmed that I'm pregnant." Emma literally screamed and gave her a huge hug that lasted forever until the guys had to pry Gia off Emma. Emma knew someone was missing, so she turned to the group. Troy was left, obviously, as the wallflower of the group, next to Emma.

"Troy, do you have some big news?" The others stood to the side, as Emma mentally questioned their motives. He walked up to her, knelt down, and pulled out a small box. Emma didn't say anything as her eyes widened in shock.

"Emma…"

"Troy, I thought it stopped at the dance. What are you doing?" He held her left hand to keep her from falling in stress.

"Emma Goodall, will you marry me?" Emma kept the hand over her mouth and tears started to fall down her cheeks as she could be easily identified as smiling. She nodded her head slower, then got faster.

"Y-Yes." That was the only word he wanted to hear as he smiled back, put the ring on her finger, and got up to hug her. She only did the same back to him, and the others smiled as Jake and Gia kissed to remember the day when he proposed to Yellow. Noah just smiled as he looked at his watch. He got the others to help Emma pack up the rest of her stuff as the room became empty after a few hours. The next day, the group wore their best clothes that they brought with them to the college. They stared in awe as Emma walked on stage, and gracefully received her golden certificate. A smile was stuck to her face as she walked down from the stage after giving her speech. A few hours later, the graduates of 2018 threw their hats in the air as they exchanged hugs, and agreed to call each other later. Emma walked out of the forest of people and walked up to her gang. They gave her a big hug, and Troy held her as they exchanged a long kiss.

Emma packed the last of her boxes two days later in the back of the taxi, as she entered with the rest of her friends and fiancée to head to the airport. They reached Harwood at the break of dawn, and Emma gave her parents the biggest hug in the world. She unpacked her bags, moved back into her room, and stayed there for a few months.

Months later, Emma said the two words that bonded her with the love of her life. 'I do.' They moved into their new apartment, where there was a lot of arguing over what color worked: red or pink. Emma constantly told Troy that she didn't like how red looked in that room and he said in return, "As you wish your highness." That face melted her heart, and she said 'forget it', until it happened one too many times, and the house was a red paradise. She shook her head and laughed as she painted one wall pink, and then another. It was perfect.

Their whole life was mapped out perfectly, all thanks to that moment when Troy loosened up and realized that there's more to life. Love. Love for that perfect girl.


End file.
